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August 19th, 2014

Dream of playing in the NBA? Realize that dream won’t come true? How about another dream that still probably won’t come true but is at least slightly more realistic?

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants announced today that they will hold open tryouts on September 14th in Chicago, Illinois for the 2014-15 NBA Development League season. The open tryout in Chicago will be the second of several tryouts held by the Mad Ants across the country leading up to the 2014-15 season.

The Chicago tryout will take place on Sunday, September 14th from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the Quest Multisport Complex located at 2641 West Harrison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60612. Check-in begins at 1:00 p.m. and the tryout will begin at 2:00 p.m.

The Mad Ants local player tryouts offer athletes an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants’ coaching staff. Players will compete to earn an invitation to the team’s training camp, which will begin in early November.

Players who are interested in trying out for the Mad Ants in Chicago should submit the official registration and release forms, in addition to a $150 non-refundable fee to the Mad Ants office. Late registration is $200 for all forms received after Thursday, September 11th. Payments must be made by money order or cashier’s check. Application forms are available on the Mad Ants’ website at www.fortwaynehoops.com.

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed free-agent forward Jack Cooley.

Cooley (6-9, 246, Notre Dame) played for Trabzonspor in the Turkish Basketball League during the 2013-14 season, averaging 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 22.9 minutes in 28 games (19 starts).

The 23-year-old forward played four years at Notre Dame (2009-13), averaging 13.1 points and 10.1 rebounds during his senior season. He also led the team with 41 blocked shots and earned 2013 All-Big East First Team honors. Cooley totaled 32 double-doubles throughout his career with the Fighting Irish, including 19 his senior campaign. He also earned the 2012 Big East Most Improved Player award and was named to the 2012 All-Big East Second Team. Cooley became the 53rd player in Notre Dame history to reach the 1,000-point mark and finished with 1,017 career points and grabbed 792 career rebounds. He was not selected in the 2013 NBA Draft.

A native of Evanston, Ill., Cooley played high school basketball at Glenbrook South in Glenview, Ill. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance from Notre Dame.

NBA President, Basketball Operations Rod Thorn announced today that longtime NBA referee Dick Bavetta will be retiring after 39 years of service.

Bavetta, who began his NBA career on Dec. 2, 1975, at Madison Square Garden in a game between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics finished with a record 2,635 consecutive regular season games officiated, having never missed an assigned game throughout his entire career. Bavetta also officiated 270 Playoff games including 27 Finals games.

“Dick’s dedication and commitment to his craft has been an inspiration to all NBA officials,” said Thorn. “We are grateful for his contributions to our league, and we wish him the best as he enjoys his well-earned retirement.”

Bavetta worked three NBA All-Star Games (1989, 1995 and 2006) and was the first NBA referee selected to officiate the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona. Bavetta also refereed the 1997 McDonald’s Championship in Paris, 1993 Mexico Challenge and 1990 Japan Games in Tokyo.

“On behalf of myself and the entire Bavetta family, I would like to thank the NBA family and the National Basketball Referee Association for allowing me the honor and the privilege of representing them for 39 wonderful years,” said Bavetta.

“I am most proud of never having missed an assigned game, be it exhibition, regular season or playoffs, throughout my entire career. It really has been a great run.”

Prior to joining the NBA, Bavetta was an official with the Eastern League (CBA) for nine years, as well as the Rucker League, FIBA, Jersey Shore Basketball League, and both the Public and Catholic High School leagues in New York City.

Bavetta, a Brooklyn, New York native, attended Power Memorial Academy and also attended St. Francis College in Brooklyn. He is a member of the New York City Catholic High School Hall of Fame, the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and received the National ProAm Lifetime Achievement Award.

Throughout his career, Bavetta has been actively involved in many charitable endeavors. In 1986 he established “The Bavetta Scholarships.” The program, which he personally finances, provides parochial high school scholarships for minority children. He also has volunteered with the Double H-Hole in the Woods Ranch working with critically ill children since 1992. Additionally he is actively involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The Cavaliers have finalized their coaching staff and named Jim Boylan, Bret Brielmaier, Larry Drew and James Posey as assistant coaches on head coach David Blatt’s staff, Cavs General Manager David Griffin and Blatt announced today. They join Tyronn Lue, who was named associate head coach earlier this summer. Phil Handy will also serve as Director of Player Development and Assistant Coach, along with Vitaly Potapenko, who has been tabbed to continue as the team’s Assistant Director of Player Development.

Boylan joins Blatt’s staff after serving as an assistant for the Cavaliers during their 2013-14 campaign. Prior to joining the Cavaliers, he spent five seasons as the lead assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, with the last 50 games of the 2012-13 season as the interim head coach. Boylan began his NBA coaching career with the Cavaliers as an assistant in 1992 under Lenny Wilkins and has since worked as an assistant with Chicago, Vancouver, Phoenix and Atlanta.

Brielmaier returns for his second season in Cleveland, having joined the team last July for the 2013-14 campaign. Prior to last year, Brielmaier spent four seasons in San Antonio, most recently as the team’s video coordinator. A graduate of the University of Arizona, he played four years for the Wildcats before starting his coaching career as the undergraduate assistant in 2008. In 2009, he joined the staff of the Spurs as a player development assistant and later promoted to video coordinator.

Drew joins the staff after one season as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. Prior to his stint with the Bucks, he spent three seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, leading them to postseason appearances in each of those seasons. A first round selection by Detroit in the 1980 NBA Draft, Drew appeared in 714 career NBA games with averages of 11.4 points and 5.2 assists with the Pistons, Kansas City/Sacramento, L.A. Clipper and L.A. Lakers. The Kansas City native began his coaching career in 1992 and has served as an assistant coach with the Lakers, Pistons, Washington Wizards, New Jersey Nets and Hawks.

Posey joins the coaching staff after a successful first season as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge. Posey, a 12-year NBA veteran, appeared in 864 career games with averages of 8.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals with the Nuggets, Houston, Memphis, Miami, Boston, New Orleans and Indiana. The Twinsburg, OH native also won two NBA Championships as a player with Miami (2005-06) and Boston (2007-08).

Handy returns to the staff after holding a similar role with the team last season. He joined the Cavaliers in 2013 after a two-year stint with the Lakers (2011-13). Prior to that, Handy spent five years as an AAU coach in Northern California. Over a 13-year period, he operated his own professional basketball training business, servicing NBA, European, college and many of the top-ranked high school players in the state. A former University of Hawaii basketball standout, Handy spent time in the NBA with Golden State and Portland, along with eight-years of playing experience overseas in Israel, France, England, Germany, Italy and Australia.

Potapenko returns to the staff as the Assistant Director of Player Development. Prior to joining the Cavs in July 2013, he spent the previous year as an assistant coach with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D- League. That season, his team posted a 32-18 record en-route to their first NBADL Finals appearance. Potapenko was selected 12th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1996 NBA Draft and spent his first three seasons with the team. Potapenko went on to have an 11-year NBA career with the Cavaliers, Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics and Kings, with averages of 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.